What if your career could start before you finish your degree? UTS graduate Akshaya Parthasarathy shares the five tips that helped her turn university opportunities into a full-time career.
For many students, graduating and finding a job can feel like two separate milestones. But according to Master of Data Science and Innovation graduate Akshaya Parthasarathy, your career can start long before you finish university.
While studying at UTS, Akshaya secured industry experience, joined research projects, won a career hackathon and landed a part-time role that became full-time employment as a data engineering consultant.
Here are her top five tips.
Show off your work
“Whether it's a personal project you built in your spare time or an assignment completed as part of your coursework, your work deserves a public stage,” says Akshaya.
“Think of it like putting your artwork on the refrigerator. That's how proudly you should be showcasing it.”
She recommends using platforms like LinkedIn and GitHub to share what you've built, document your learnings and create a professional presence online.
“Over time, this makes you recognisable to recruiters, hiring managers and even academics.”
For Akshaya, sharing her work on LinkedIn led to opportunities beyond the classroom, including being invited to work with two UTS lecturers on a research project analysing social media data.
Be visible
“Attending networking events introduces you to people who will eventually play a significant role in your career,” she says.
“There's always something happening, on campus and outside.”
Networking events, hackathons and industry activities can help you explore different career paths, broaden your perspective and build valuable connections.
“It's a great opportunity to expose yourself to the different kinds of roles that exist, learn in a different way and possibly meet your future colleague.”
Don't be afraid of rejection
“Don't wait until you meet nine or 10 out of 10 job requirements before applying,” says Akshaya.
“Apply anyway.”
She also encourages students to take initiative by reaching out to recruiters and professionals directly.
“Going the extra mile by sending a thoughtful cold email or LinkedIn message to a recruiter or senior professional can make a real difference.
“While many candidates are qualified, very few take initiative. That effort alone can help you stand out in a crowded pool.”
Stick to a niche and go all in
“With the sheer volume of information available online, it's easy to feel overwhelmed and tempted to learn everything at once,” she says.
“Instead, pick a niche, something you enjoyed studying or naturally gravitate towards and commit to it.”
While exploring different interests is valuable early on, Akshaya believes developing expertise is what helps you stand out.
“Generalisation is helpful early on to explore your options, but specialisation is what helps you refine, deepen and elevate the quality of your projects and skills.”
Learn from people around you
Building a career isn't something you have to do alone. Akshaya says some of the most valuable lessons can come from the people around you, whether that's industry professionals, classmates or recent graduates.
“When the hustle starts to feel demanding and exhaustive, surrounding yourself with inspiration is what helps you recharge,” says Akshaya.
“This could mean following people in the industry who are working the jobs that you aspire to have, or even catching up with fellow classmates or senior classmates who have parts of the puzzle figured out that you're still working on.”
By learning from other people's experiences, you can gain new perspectives, discover opportunities and build a clearer picture of where you want your career to go.
“You always end up learning something new and someday it'll be a topic that may even come about in your workplace.”
Turning opportunities into a career
For Akshaya, building a career wasn't about waiting until graduation. It was about sharing her work, putting herself out there, developing expertise and learning from the people around her. By making the most of opportunities both inside and outside the classroom, she was able to start building her career before earning her degree.
Ready to put these tips into practice? You can also explore UTS Careers for tools and support to help you take the next step, whether you're polishing your resume, preparing for interviews, looking for graduate roles or seeking personalised career advice.
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